Laxman ‘proud’ of his team at NCA, lauds BCCI for handling Rishabh Pant’s recovery

Though there has been criticism mounted against the NCA for poorly managing the injuries of some of India’s top cricketers, Laxman said he was very proud of his team.

Former India cricketer VVS Laxman, head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), at the newly inaugurated Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Centre of Excellence campus. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU

Former India cricketer VVS Laxman, now Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), lauded his team for effectively managing the injuries and rehabilitation of the country’s top cricketers during an interaction held on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Centre of Excellence near Bengaluru.

Though there has been criticism mounted against the NCA for poorly managing the injuries of some of India’s top cricketers, including the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, Laxman said he was very proud of his team but couldn’t comment on the work of his predecessors.

Laxman had been appointed head of NCA in December 2021 after Rahul Dravid left the role to become India’s head coach.

“I can’t comment on what has happened in the past, but I can say with a lot of conviction that I am very, very proud of everyone, every member of my team and also the SSM (Sports Science & Medicine) team because it is a high-pressure work for them. They are dealing with injuries, and there is a misconception that the timelines have to be met. We are talking about bodies and someone who has had a back injury towards the end of my international career. I understand that sometimes you know that you will be fit in a particular time frame, but sometimes the recovery or the result won’t be seen,” Laxman said. 

The 49-year-old also credited players such as Rishabh Pant, Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Prasidh Krishna for working hard and being thorough during their recovery process. 

“Having patience and following the protocols is very, very critical. As long as you follow all the protocols, and coming from a doctor’s family, I know for a fact that as a doctor, my parents always wanted to follow all the protocols and what is required for the patient, and sometimes the recovery can be a little late. But full credit to the entire SSM team for the way with patience, they have handled each and every player, and also credit to the players because we have seen Rishabh Pant’s case and we have seen Jassi (Jasprit Bumrah) being here, Shreyas (Iyer) being here, we have seen KL (Rahul) being here, Prasidh (Krishna) being here, a lot of players, I can’t single out one or two, but whoever came here, I mean they have really worked hard,” he added. 

While cautioning that the recovery process can sometimes take longer than expected, Laxman acknowledged that being confined to an indoor facility can be challenging for a professional cricketer, who is typically used to rigorous training sessions and spending hours on the field. 

“The challenging part of the rehab is, when you are doing rehab, the entire rehab will probably be for two or three hours in the whole day, and the whole day they have nothing to do, and we are talking about the elite sportsperson who is actually busy playing six to eight hours or practising six to eight hours. Suddenly they realise that they are confined to the rehab room or the gym, and once they recover and they progress to the ground, it’s a maximum four to five hours, but they are required to still be mentally strong and not get frustrated,” Laxman said. 

His team at the NCA also has to double up as mental health conditioners at times, especially when players who are still recovering are itching to return to the cricket field as soon as possible. 

“They have conversations at various stages of their rehab. I have been in that situation because, as a player, when you know the shelf life is very short, you want every day to count; every day you want to be out there in the middle playing as much as possible, but sometimes you have to accept the fact that you are required to recover properly before going and again participating actively at whatever level you are playing. It’s very important that the player also understands that, and if someone is there for rehab, there will be one or two conversations with them. I joke with my SSM team that they are also good mental conditioners or they are also good counsellors because there will be days, there will be moments when the player will feel a little down, will feel a little frustrated, but you have those conversations and sort of convince the player that whatever is happening is in the best interest,” Laxman explained. 

Most notably, Pant, who underwent a 14-month rehabilitation process at the NCA after suffering a horrific car crash in December 2022, returned to competitive cricket in March this year even though doctors initially believed it would take him up to two years to be able to take to the field again. 

Laxman commended the BCCI for handling Pant’s recovery, right from the day he met with the accident till he donned the India jersey again. 

“... The most remarkable thing, and here, again, I would like to compliment the BCCI, because right from the day Rishabh Pant got injured till the day he recovered and was discharged from the NCA, you know they have taken care, right from admitting him in the hospital in Dehra Dun to airlifting him for the operation, everything was taken care of.”